This lectures are highligts from our A-level CRS exam focus textbook. For complete and comprehensive study materials on this course, refer to the textbook. Note: Practising past questions after reading each materials is the secret weapon to good performance.
This course is not about memorizing dates and names like a robot. It’s about understanding how Christianity arrived in West Africa, why it failed in some places, succeeded in others, and how Africans eventually started their own churches. By the time we finish, you should be able to tell the story from the early North African church all the way to the Pentecostal movements in Nigeria today. FreshNote Editorial Team has carefully compiled this lecture notes for easy assimilation.
What This Course Is About
Christianity came to Africa not once, but three separate times. First to North Africa – that was the earliest, and it produced giants like Augustine. Then the Portuguese tried along the coast. Finally, in the 19th century, missionaries came and stayed. CRS 003 walks you through each attempt, then focuses on Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Nigeria as case studies. We’ll also look at how Africans reacted – sometimes accepting, sometimes resisting, and eventually forming their own independent churches.
Lecture 1: The Previous Attempts at Christianizing Africa
Before the 19th century, two major attempts were made. Both eventually collapsed.
The First Attempt: North Africa
What happened? Christianity reached North Africa very early – within a hundred years of Jesus’ death. Places like Egypt (Alexandria), Carthage (Tunisia), and Ethiopia had thriving churches. You’ve heard of Augustine of Hippo? He was North African. Tertullian, Cyprian, Athanasius – all African.
Why did it collapse? Two main reasons:
1. The Islamic conquest – From the 7th century onward, Arab armies swept across North Africa. Christians were taxed, pressured, and over centuries, most converted to Islam.
2. The church was already weak – Internal fights over theology (Donatists, Arians) had divided North African Christians. When Islam came, there was no united front.
What to remember for exams: North Africa had Christianity before Europe did. But it died out because of conquest and internal division.
The Second Attempt: The Portuguese Effect
Who was behind it? Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal (15th century). He wasn’t just exploring for gold and spices – he wanted to spread Christianity.
What did they do? Portuguese sailors and priests worked their way down the West African coast. They made contact with the Kongo Kingdom (modern-day Angola and Congo). The king of Kongo, Nzinga Mbemba (Afonso I), actually converted and tried to make Christianity the state religion.
Why did it fail?
· The Portuguese were more interested in the slave trade than in genuine mission work.
· Priests were few and often corrupt.
· When the king died, later rulers went back to traditional religion.
· No local leadership was trained to take over.
Bottom line: The Portuguese planted seeds, but the soil was rocky. By the 18th century, Christianity had almost disappeared again along most of the coast.
Lecture 2: The Evangelical Revivals and the Founding of Sierra Leone
Now we get to the attempt that stuck.
What Sparked the Renewal?
In Europe and America during the 18th century, there were massive religious revivals – the Methodist revival under John Wesley, the Great Awakening in America. These movements created Christians who believed they had a duty to save souls everywhere, including Africa.
Two effects on West Africa:
1. Missionary societies were formed – the Church Missionary Society (CMS), the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society, the Baptist Missionary Society.
2. The anti-slavery movement grew. Many of these new Christians believed slavery was a sin. They pushed Britain to abolish the slave trade (1807) and then slavery itself (1833).
How Sierra Leone Became a Base
Why was Sierra Leone founded?
· Britain needed a place to settle freed slaves. Some had been captured from slave ships. Others were former soldiers who had fought for Britain in the American War of Independence.
· The anti-slavery movement said: give these people land, and while you’re at it, send missionaries.
The result: Freetown was established in 1787. Later, more freed slaves arrived – the "Nova Scotians," the "Maroons," and after 1807, thousands of "Liberated Africans" rescued from slave ships.
Missionary Activities in Sierra Leone
The CMS, Methodists, and others set up shop. They built schools, translated the Bible into local languages, and trained local preachers. By the 1840s, Sierra Leone had produced the first generation of educated African Christians – people like Samuel Ajayi Crowther (a Yoruba freed slave who later became a bishop).
The Niger Expedition (1841) – This was a big deal. The CMS decided to send a mission up the Niger River into the interior of Nigeria. It was a disaster. Many missionaries died of malaria. But one important thing came out: Samuel Ajayi Crowther survived and emerged as a leader.
Evaluation: Sierra Leone was the springboard for Christianity in West Africa. Almost every missionary who went to Nigeria, Ghana, or elsewhere passed through Freetown first. And the freed slaves who returned home became the first evangelists in their own villages.
Lecture 3: Planting Christianity in the Gold Coast (Ghana)
The first missionaries to the Gold Coast were from the Basel Mission (Swiss/German) and the Wesleyan Methodists (British). They arrived in the 1820s and 1830s.
Key Challenges
· The local chiefs were suspicious. They thought missionaries were spies for the British government.
· The slave trade was still active in some areas.
· Disease killed many early missionaries.
What Worked
· Missionaries focused on schools. They taught reading, writing, and trade skills. Chiefs began to see value – if my son can read English, he can deal with the white traders.
· They learned local languages (Twi, Fante) and translated the Bible bit by bit.
· They trained local teachers and pastors. By the 1850s, there were African-led congregations.
Influence of the Missions
· Christianity spread along the coast first, then inland.
· The Basel Mission became famous for its industrial training – carpentry, brickmaking, weaving.
· The Methodists were strong in the coastal towns like Cape Coast and Accra.
· By the end of the 19th century, the Gold Coast had a solid Christian minority, especially among the Fante people.
Lecture 4: Planting Christianity in Nigeria – The Main Event
This is the biggest section. Nigeria is huge, and each region had a different experience.
Missionary Activities in Yorubaland
How did Christianity enter Yorubaland?
Two main routes:
1. From Sierra Leone – Freed Yoruba slaves returned home. One of them, Samuel Ajayi Crowther, led the CMS mission.
2. From the coast – Missionaries landed at Badagry (where the first church was built in 1842) and Abeokuta.
Key figures: Henry Townsend, Samuel Ajayi Crowther, David Hinderer.
How it spread:
· Missionaries didn’t force conversion. They opened schools. Learning English was attractive because it meant jobs in trade and government.
· They settled disputes. In a time of wars between Yoruba city-states, missionaries were sometimes invited as neutral mediators.
· They challenged traditional religion – not with violence but with arguments and education.
Influence in Yorubaland:
· Christianity became strongest in Abeokuta, Ibadan, Lagos, and Oyo.
· Many Yoruba elites became Christian – lawyers, doctors, teachers.
· The Anglican and Methodist churches grew fast.
· But there was also resistance. Some chiefs saw Christianity as a threat to their authority. Traditional worshippers clashed with converts.
Missionary Activities in Igbo Land
Different from Yorubaland:
· The Igbo had no central kings. Society was village-based with many small decision-makers. That made missionary work harder – you couldn’t convert one chief and reach everyone.
· The Igbo were more resistant at first. They saw Christianity as a white man’s religion meant to destroy their culture.
How it finally entered:
· Late 1850s, the CMS tried and failed.
· The breakthrough came through ex-slaves returning home. Some Igbo freed from slave ships settled in Sierra Leone, then came back to places like Onitsha.
· Missionaries from the CMS (like Samuel Crowther again) and later the Roman Catholics arrived.
Key strategy: Schools and medical work. The Igbo respected learning and healing. If the missionary could cure your child of fever, you listened.
Influence in Igbo Land:
· By the early 20th century, Christianity exploded. The Igbo became one of the most Christianized groups in Nigeria.
· But it was selective – many Igbo blended Christianity with traditional beliefs for a long time.
Missionary Activities in Northern Nigeria
This was the hardest region.
Why?
· Islam was already strong. The Sokoto Caliphate ruled the north. Muslim rulers did not want Christian missionaries converting their people.
· The British colonial government (after 1900) also held back – they had a policy of "indirect rule" and didn’t want to upset the Muslim emirs.
How did Christianity enter anyway?
· Mostly through migrants from the south. Yoruba and Igbo Christians moved north for work (railways, trading, government jobs) and brought their faith with them.
· Missionaries set up stations in the "foreigner" areas – places where non-Muslims lived.
· Medical missions were key. Leprosy hospitals and clinics opened doors.
Influence in Northern Nigeria:
· Today, Christians are a significant minority in the Middle Belt (places like Plateau, Kaduna, Taraba) but much smaller in the core Muslim north (Kano, Sokoto, Katsina).
· Tensions between Muslims and Christians remain real. You’ll see this in exam questions about religion and conflict.
Missionary Activities in Calabar and Bonny (Niger Delta)
Different story here: The coastal towns of Calabar and Bonny were old trading centers. They had contact with Europeans for centuries before missionaries arrived.
Key figure: Mary Slessor – a Scottish missionary who came to Calabar in 1876. She is famous for stopping the killing of twins (which the local people believed were evil). She also worked to reduce violence and human sacrifice.
Other missionaries: The Presbyterian Church of Scotland did most of the work in this region.
Influence:
· The Efik and Ibibio people became strongly Presbyterian.
· Education and health care improved dramatically.
· But the missions also destroyed some local customs without offering good substitutes – that created bitterness in some communities.
Lecture 5: The Rise of African Independent Churches (AICs)
What Are African Independent Churches?
These are churches started by Africans, for Africans, without control by European or American mission boards. They kept the Bible but often blended African worship styles – drumming, dancing, clapping, healing, prophecy.
Why Did They Start?
Several reasons:
1. Racism in mission churches – Europeans treated Africans as second-class. An African pastor earned less, lived in worse housing, and had no real authority.
2. Cultural suppression – Missionaries banned drumming, dancing, polygamy, and sometimes even local names. Africans wanted to worship God in their own way.
3. Desire for leadership – Some Africans felt called to start churches but were blocked by missionaries.
Classification of AICs
Scholars usually split them into three types:
1. Ethiopian churches – These broke away because of race, not doctrine. They kept the same beliefs but wanted African control. Example: the Ethiopian Church in South Africa and Nigeria.
2. Zionist/Aladura churches – These emphasized healing, prophecy, and the Holy Spirit. "Aladura" means "praying people" in Yoruba. They used prayer, water, and anointing oil instead of Western medicine. Examples: Christ Apostolic Church, Celestial Church of Christ, Cherubim and Seraphim.
3. Messianic churches – Where the founder claimed a special revelation or even divine status. Some are controversial.
Distinguishing AICs from Mainline and Pentecostal
· Mainline (Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic) – European or American control, formal liturgy, educated clergy.
· Pentecostal (Deeper Life, Redeemed Christian Church of God – though RCCG became later) – emphasize Spirit baptism, speaking in tongues, born-again experience. Many started later, from 1970s onward.
· AICs (Aladura, etc.) – African-initiated, often combine prayer and healing with some traditional symbols, but still reject traditional religion’s polytheism.
Some Founders/Leaders of AICs You Should Know
· Joseph Babalola – Yoruba, led the Great Revival of 1930 that birthed the Christ Apostolic Church.
· Moses Orimolade – founder of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church in Lagos.
· Samuel Bilewu Oshoffa – founder of the Celestial Church of Christ (Benin/Nigeria).
· Garrick Braide – Niger Delta prophet who started a movement within the Anglican church that later became independent.
Lecture 6: Pentecostalism in Nigeria
What Does "Pentecostal" Mean?
It comes from the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit came on the apostles and they spoke in tongues. Pentecostal churches emphasize:
· Baptism of the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues as evidence.
· Healing, miracles, and prophecy.
· "Born again" experience.
· Emotional, lively worship.
History and Development
First wave (early 20th century):
· Pentecostalism came to Nigeria through missionaries from the US and Europe – the Apostolic Faith mission, the Assemblies of God.
· But it remained small. Many Nigerians associated it with emotional excess.
Second wave (1970s onward):
· Explosion of new Pentecostal churches – often called "charismatic" or "born-again."
· Examples: Deeper Christian Life Ministry (William Kumuyi), Redeemed Christian Church of God (Enoch Adeboye – though RCCG started earlier as an AIC-like church), Mountain of Fire and Miracles (Daniel Olukoya), Winners Chapel (David Oyedepo).
Distinguishing features from AICs:
· Pentecostals reject any traditional African practices (no "anointing water" like Aladura, no dreams as binding revelation).
· They are more likely to use media – TV, radio, crusades.
· They focus on prosperity theology (God wants you rich) and deliverance from demons.
Some Founders/Leaders
· William Kumuyi – Deeper Life Bible Church
· Enoch Adeboye – Redeemed Christian Church of God
· David Oyedepo – Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel)
· Chris Oyakhilome – Christ Embassy
· T.B. Joshua – Synagogue Church of All Nations (controversial, some call it a cult)
Lecture 7: Proliferation of Churches in Nigeria
What "Proliferation" Means
It just means rapid multiplication. Nigeria today has tens of thousands of churches – some big, many tiny, some in hotels and garages.
Causes of Proliferation
Why so many churches? Exam question favorite.
1. Leadership ambition – Someone feels "called" to start their own church. They don’t want to wait years to become a pastor in an established denomination.
2. Doctrinal disputes – A small disagreement over baptism, tithing, or prophecy leads to a split.
3. Economic factor – Pastors can make money. Tithes, offerings, and "seed sowing" are collected. In a country with high unemployment, pastoring becomes a job.
4. Spiritual search – Nigerians are deeply religious. If one church seems dry, people move to another that promises miracles.
5. Weak regulation – Anyone can register a church. No theological training required.
Impact of Proliferation – Both Good and Bad
Positive:
· The gospel spreads fast. Hardly any village in southern Nigeria is without a church.
· People have choices. If you want loud worship, you find it. If you want quiet, you find that too.
· Many churches run schools, hospitals, and skill centers.
Negative:
· Confusion. New believers don’t know which church teaches truth.
· Exploitation. Some pastors are fraudsters – demanding money for fake miracles.
· Division. Families break up when members join different churches and criticize each other.
· Loss of accountability. No bishop or council checks what a lone pastor does.
Evaluation for exam: Proliferation shows that Christianity is alive and locally driven in Nigeria. But it also creates problems that the older mission churches didn’t have. A balanced answer will mention both sides.
